The present invention is directed to processes, and more specifically to processes wherein a component of the toner selected for the development of images can be detectable, especially by a reader that is sensitive to infrared light. In one embodiment, the process of the present invention comprises the generation of documents, such as tickets, like tickets to sports activities, with an encapsulated toner that contains an infrared absorbing pigment, or taggant, such as a metal free phthalocyanine, a metal phthalocyanine, vanadyl phthalocyanine, and the like. The aforementioned encapsulated toner usually contains the absorbing pigment in the core thereof. An example of an encapsulated toner that may be selected is comprised of a core comprised of a polymer, a pigment, a near infrared absorbing component, and thereover a polymeric shell preferably prepared by interfacial polymerization.
Illustrated in copending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 636,264 (D/89191), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, is a process for controlling a reproduction system, comprising the steps of: scanning an image to detect at least one taggant in at least one marking material forming said image; and issuing instructions to said reproduction system, wherein said instructions cause said reproduction system to take an action selected from the group consisting of. (a) prohibiting reproduction of those portions of said image formed by said marking material containing at least one predetermined detected taggant, and reproducing of all other portions of said image; (b) prohibiting reproduction of any part of said image upon detecting of at least one predetermined taggant; (c) reproducing only those portions of said image formed by said marking material containing at least one predetermined taggant; (d) reproducing portions of said image formed by said marking material containing at least one predetermined taggant in a different manner from that in which said system reproduces portions of said image formed by said marking material not containing said at least one predetermined taggant; and (e) identifying a source of said image on the basis of detection of at least one predetermined taggant. It is indicated in this patent application that taggants may also provide security for important documents. The system of the copending application is capable of identifying documents (as well as marking materials) containing taggants which may be present in the toner or ink used to create an image on the document. Thus, copies made using such toner or ink doped with taggant can be readily identified. This can permit subsequent identification of the source of an image, generally by type of machine (for example for statistical data gathering) or more specifically by facility where a copy was made or even by the specific machine unit in which a copy was made (like for document tracking). Further, according to the copending application documents or portions thereof may also be made that are incapable of being copied by using tagged marking materials for at least the portion of the document for which protection is desired. The identification of a predetermined taggant may signal the system to prevent scanning, storing or developing operations of the whole document or areas where the particular taggant is present.
Illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,757 (D/90072), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, are encapsulated toners with a core comprised of a polymer binder, pigment or dye, and thereover a hydroxylated polyurethane shell, and which shell has the ability to effectively contain the core binder and prevent its loss through diffusion and leaching process. Specifically, in one embodiment there is provided in accordance with the copending application encapsulated toners comprised of a core containing a polymer binder, pigment or dye particles, and thereover a hydroxylated polyurethane shell derived from the polycondensation of a polyisocyanate and a water-soluble carbohydrate such as a monosaccharide, a disaccharide or the derivatives thereof with the polycondensation being accomplished by the known interfacial polymerization methods. Another specific embodiment of the copending application is directed to pressure fixable encapsulated toners comprised of a core of polymer binder, magnetic pigment, color pigment, dye or mixtures thereof, and a hydroxylated polyurethane shell, and coated thereover with a layer of conductive components, such as carbon black. There is indicated in this copending patent application that encapsulated cold pressure fixable toner compositions are known. Cold pressure fixable toners have a number of advantages in comparison to toners that are fused by heat, primarily relating to the utilization of less energy and enabling the use of heatless instant-on imaging apparatus, since the toner compositions selected can be fixed without application of heat.
In a patentability search report for the aforementioned copending patent application, the following prior art, all United States patents, were recited: U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,194 which discloses encapsulated toners with shells comprised of substances (A) and (B), see column 3 for example, wherein (A) can be an isocyanate and (B) can be an active hydrogen containing compound, see column 4, such as polyols, water, sorbitol, and the like, see column 5; a similar teaching is present in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,866; 3,898,171, which discloses an electroscopic powder formulated with sucrose benzoate and a thermoplastic resin, see for example column 2; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,755 and 4,592,957 as being of possible background interest.
The following U.S. patents are also mentioned: U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,962 which discloses a toner composition comprising a finely divided mixture comprising a colorant and a polymeric material which is a block or graft copolymer, including apparently copolymers of polyurethane and a polyether (column 6), reference for example the Abstract of the Disclosure, and also note the disclosure in columns 2 and 3, 6 and 7, particularly lines 13 and 35; U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,764 which discloses a microcapsule toner with a colored core material coated successively with a first resin wall and a second resin wall, reference for example the Abstract of the Disclosure and also note columns 2 to 7, and particularly column 7, beginning at line 31, wherein the first wall may comprise polyvinyl alcohol resins known in the art including polyurethanes, polyureas, and the like; U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,490 contains a similar teaching as the '764 patent and more specifically discloses an encapsulated toner comprising a binder of a mixture of a long chain organic compound and an ester of a higher alcohol and a higher carboxylic acid encapsulated within a thin shell, reference the Abstract of the Disclosure, for example, and note specifically examples of shell materials in column 8, beginning at line 64, and continuing on to column 9, line 17, which shells can be comprised, for example, of polyurethanes, polyurea, epoxy resin, polyether resins such as polyphenylene oxide or thioether resin, or mixtures thereof; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,442,194; 4,465,755, and U.S. Patents of background interest including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,520,091; 4,590,142; 4,610,945; 4,642,281; 4,740,443 and 4,803,144. The disclosures of each of the aforementioned U.S. patents are totally incorporated herein by reference.